Why Enzo Maresca is enjoying Chelsea luck amid Chelsea’s 25 players squad decision | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has admitted that his Chelsea side have been lucky this season ahead of their clash against Arsenal in the Premier League.

The Blues have made a positive start to the season and currently sit third in the Premier League table, level on points with Arsenal but ahead of their London rivals on goal difference.

An 8-0 win in midweek over Noah FC has seen the mood lifted after Chelsea failed to end an 11-year winless streak at Old Trafford in their 1-1 draw last weekend.

Sitting top of the Conference League, Maresca has opted to make several changes for each game as Chelsea remain favourites to win the competition after their fine performances.

The likes of Joao Felix, Mykhailo Mudryk, Renato Veiga and Christopher Nkunku have all impressed on European nights, with Maresca admitting that Chelsea are lucky to have such a talented squad.

Speaking to the press ahead of the London derby on Sunday, Maresca also admitted that Chelsea have been lucky with their injuries this season, in comparison to last year.

Reece James is currently benefiting form Enzo Maresca's cautious approach to Chelsea's fixture congestion. / IMAGO / PA Images

"In this moment, we are quite lucky that we don't have injuries," Maresca said. "So we have 24, 25 players we can choose from.

"Also we protect players. In this moment, we are in November, and every game, we change players. Fortunately we don’t have injuries in this moment."

Under Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea were in crisis when it came to injuries. Reece James, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana all had long-term issues, while it felt like a new player would appear on the club's injury list every week.

Since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Maresca has adopted more of a cautious approach to his player's workload in comparison to Pochettino.

Cole Palmer, Lavia and Fofana were all left out of Chelsea's European squad for the Conference League group games, while the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Moises Caicedo are usually rested in midweek due to load management.

Chelsea's head coach has given his injury update ahead of the weekend's clash, with only Palmer a doubt ahead of the match against Arsenal.

Maresca will be hoping that Chelsea's luck remains and that he will have his full squad available for the majority of the season as they compete in the Premier League, FA Cup and Conference League.

A trophy for the Italian would be the perfect first season at Stamford Bridge following two domestic cup final losses for the Blues last season.